Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met in Beijing, China on the 6th, the first meeting between the two foreign ministers in more than seven years. The two sides discussed steps to reopen the embassy and other bilateral issues and issued a joint statement.
The joint statement pointed out that the two sides emphasized the importance of discussing ways to expand bilateral relations and launching the security cooperation agreement between the two countries and the general agreement on cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and investment.
The two countries severed diplomatic ties in 2016 after protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran in response to Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shia Muslim cleric. The two countries are also on opposite sides in the Yemeni conflict.
However, under China’s active mediation, the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Beijing and reached a bilateral agreement, including agreeing to restore diplomatic relations between the two sides, reopening embassies and representative offices, and sending ambassadors to each other within two months.
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iraq had spoken several times before their trip to Beijing, discussing the steps that the two countries will take to restart diplomatic relations and activate other agreements.
The United States cautiously welcomed the announcement, while U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres thanked China for brokering the deal.